September Hatch-A-Long

[SelfMadeFarming]

I'm now on day 21.

Woke up to 2 pips, not much really happening over the past 5 hrs.

It's going to be along day, I'm going to try to stay busy, so I'm not looking in every 5 minutes.

LOL

(pip at bottom egg)

 

[Mamasaurus]

I'm now on day 21.

Woke up to 2 pips, not much really happening over the past 5 hrs.

It's going to be along day, I'm going to try to stay busy, so I'm not looking in every 5 minutes.

LOL

(pip at bottom egg)

Oooo I can see it. My first pip was one of the last out and an internal pip at lock down was the last out! Go figure. .. still, keep busy and enjoy the anticipation....

 

[duluthralphie]

I can hear your confusion so here is some info....

Percent Fertility is the percentage of fertile eggs of all eggs set.
% Fertility = # of fertile eggs divided by # of total eggs set


Percent Hatchability is the percentage of fertile eggs which actually hatched out as live young.
% Hatchability = # of eggs which hatch out divided by # of fertile eggs

I had 21 eggs that were fertile and 12 chicks in my brooder, so 12 divided by 21 = 0.5714285714.

A 57% hatch rate.

Just to confuse you, this is talking about the number of FERTILE EGGS, not the number that went into lockdown, you have to include the quitters but not the clear eggs.

And this where chicken math screws up the lay person. Before you know it you are talking about those you took out of the incubator before day 6 to 18. Then whether they were mailed, shipped or driven by car, whether your chickens laid the eggs or a neighbors did. Was the hen scared by a dog? Did the rooster crow at dawn?


Which is why I warn people to leave the percentages to the experts......


Now for an update, I moved Ethel and her 4 remaining chicks today to a pen, as there first step in becoming free range.... BUT it feels all wrong doing it this time of the year with winter so close.

I might have to send Ethel and her babies to the land of OZ for a winter vacation at a farm down under.

 

[duluthralphie]

My first ever chick hatched! I am soooo excited I can't sleep. More on the way!!!

.

.

gratz!!!


Enjoy, that first chick is so special!

 

[duluthralphie]

It's happening! It's happening! I have baby chickens and am fighting off a minor panic attack!

To recap:

My little bantam became broody at the end of August (Thank you BYC for helping me diagnose here strange behaviour). I felt bad for her, as I have no roster and she was trying to sit on eggs that would never hatch. Thus, off to the chicken farm I went, and purchased 1/2 dozen mixed fertilised eggs. I popped them under her and hoped for her sake that one of them might hatch. I wasn't really sure it would work without an incubator...

But lo and BEHOLD! As I went to put my girls away this evening I hear tiny peeps and further investigation (beak braving) showed a tiny beak poking through a shell. I'm checking every half hour and so far I have two little yellow chicks, both from eggs marked HP (must call the chicken farm about this to check the breed - probably not Harry Potter).

I have some photos on my phone - but I'm not sure how to load them on here. I will try later.

Note: Also discovered, whilst lying under my coop, that I have mites, or lice, or something. :/ Must visit the Produce store tomorrow to get some dust. Or should I wait until the chicks are older?

You made that bantam so happy! Good Job...


As one that bought baby chicks for Ethel and Myrtle so they would not have to sit on eggs for that long, I understand sneaking something under them. It is amazing how willing they are to take whatever comes out from under them as theirs. ( Earlier this spring I bought chicks and put them under Ethel and Myrtle to stop them from fighting over one nest. They thought they could both brood the same batch of eggs)

 

[Yara]

Well, out of my shipped eggs one was cracked... I set them and candled them on day 7 and had to throw out 7 of the 11 I set because of detached air cells. So disappointing but I was expecting this. Luckily now I have 11 Blue Double Laced Barnevelder chicks growing well so I'm not too terribly upset.

 

[Maladicta]

Both my broody girl (henceforth known as Brangelina) and the bantam leghorn are sitting on the eggs tonight as they hatch. The leghorn has refused to head into the hutch and has one of the hatched chicks and two eggs under her, leaving the other hatched chick and three eggs under Brangelina. How long does it take for the eggs to hatch - can anyone advise? the eggs marked HP (which I think are these: http://www.heritagehatchingandhens....9212_details.asp?Category=37&SubCategory=3154) were the first out, and hatching started at about 6pm. It's now 12pm and the other eggs just have beak holes in them. If they are not out by morning (8am-ish) should I help them?

 

[redhen689]

Both my broody girl (henceforth known as Brangelina) and the bantam leghorn are sitting on the eggs tonight as they hatch. The leghorn has refused to head into the hutch and has one of the hatched chicks and two eggs under her, leaving the other hatched chick and three eggs under Brangelina. How long does it take for the eggs to hatch - can anyone advise? the eggs marked HP (which I think are these: http://www.heritagehatchingandhens....9212_details.asp?Category=37&SubCategory=3154) were the first out, and hatching started at about 6pm. It's now 12pm and the other eggs just have beak holes in them. If they are not out by morning (8am-ish) should I help them?

It can take over 24 hours to go from pip (beak hole) to hatch. I wouldn't interfere with them at this point. When you say she won't go to the hutch, Where is her nest? Normally broody hens will stay with the eggs they are trying to hatch for a day or so after some of the chicks have hatched. Once the chicks are a day or two old, they take the chicks out and teach them to forage, (abandoning any unhatched eggs).


About my eggs in the 'bator, I started with 9 eggs 13 days ago. Today I opened 7 of them. Most of them had really deteriorated inside, but most appeared to have been non-fertile, or maybe stored improperly prior to my buying them.

I did see one that was a very early quitter. The 2 in the 'bator look good.

I hope they both make it... 8 more days to go!

 

[Peep_Show]

@Mamasaurus

OMG! Those ducks asleep are so CUTE.... Like a pile o' puppies!

 

[Y N dottes]

Well, out of my shipped eggs one was cracked... I set them and candled them on day 7 and had to throw out 7 of the 11 I set because of detached air cells. So disappointing but I was expecting this. Luckily now I have 11 Blue Double Laced Barnevelder chicks growing well so I'm not too terribly upset.

You threw them out because of detached are cells? I had 8 out of 10 with detached air cells, and hatched 7 so at least 5 of those eggs had their air cells detached.
Am I the only one who keeps those?